Chess Puzzle #1MH44 — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 547 · Beginner · back rank mate, mate, mate in 1, middlegame, one move.

Position

White: king g1; queen f8; rook f1; bishops b2/e2; knight e4; pawns a3/g2/h2. Black: king h8; queen e5; rook a8; bishop c8; knights c6/d7; pawns a7/b7/d4/e6/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (1 move)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxf8 — knight d7→f8, captures queen. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rxf8# — rook f1→f8, captures knight, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

back rank mate, mate, mate in 1, middlegame, one move. The combination ends with Rxf8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r1b2Q1k/pp1n2pp/2n1p3/4q3/3pN3/P7/1B2B1PP/5RK1 b - - 5 27

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.

Puzzle data from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0). Analysis powered by Stockfish 18 in your browser.